In a recent public service announcement, Michelle Obama said the day of service is timed to coincide with Martin Luther King Day, "a day when we honor a man who lived his life in service to others and showed us what we can accomplish when we stand together."

In a separate public service announcement, President-elect Obama also called for national service. "America's greatness was not crafted in skyscrapers alone," he said in the video, "but on the ground by those who could see what needed to be done." The incoming president called on Americans to "step forward" and "help renew America."